Embodiments herein generally relate to multiple printing entity systems, and more particularly to a method, service, and computer program product that utilizes reverse auctions to obtain and evaluate bids for a print job.
As document processing technologies advance, more complicated types of printing systems are becoming available and more specialization is occurring. It is common for those authors who create printable material to outsource the actual printing of the material. However, such authors understandably desire to have the printing process be performed in a high quality manner for a reasonable price. The embodiments herein provide methods of communicating with different print entities (print shops, printers, etc.). The methods herein receive a print job and evaluate the print job as a digital print job and/or an offset print job. The digital print job is primarily characterized (for pricing purposes) by the number of images within the print job, while the offset print job is primarily characterized (for pricing purposes) by the number of sheets within the print job. Although digital production is characterized primarily by number of images vs. number of sheets in offset, rate cards and pricing are based upon the number of different components of the print job such as preflight, press, postpress, finishing, assembly and fulfillment. Secondary characterizations (for pricing purposes) can include quality, sheet size, turnaround time, etc.
The methods herein can perform a live reverse auction for the digital print job and/or the offset print job by offering the digital print job and the offset print job to a plurality of printing entities and receive bids for the digital print job and the offset print job from the printing entities. The “live” reverse auction is performed dynamically through a network to which the printing entities are connected The bids for the digital print job are based primarily upon the number of images within the digital print job, and the bids for the offset print job are based primarily upon the number of sheets within the offset print job. The bids are evaluated to rank the bids (or to rank the printing entities) into a ranking, which is output.
Different embodiments can perform an off-line reverse auction for the digital print job that is based on information previously stored in a database. The off-line reverse auction compares the digital print job to a plurality of rate cards previously submitted by the printing entities. In a similar manner, the rate cards are based primarily upon numbers of production parameters, price points and images within digital print jobs or numbers of pages within offset print jobs. Then, these embodiments evaluate the preview pricing derived from the rate cards to rank the printing entities into a ranking, which is output.
Other embodiments herein can determine whether the printing entities have a capability to execute the print job. Further, some embodiments can perform an optimization process for selecting the best production method based upon minimum price and wastage to evaluate and rank the bid or printing entities.
The embodiments herein provide reverse auctioning tools for print procurement, which allows document advisors (DA) to generate savings for customers by selecting and awarding print jobs to vendors who offer lowest pricing and optimum production methods, based upon contractual rates and capabilities previously submitted by vendors (rate cards) or through live reverse auctions with such vendors. By allowing print procurement to occur without requiring rate cards, document advisers have the option of working with vendors who do not want to submit or negotiate contractually fixed digital print pricing.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.